Improvement in harvesters



- 3 Sheets-- Sheet 2. J. F. GORDON;

Improvement in Harvesters.

No. 130,852, Patented Aug. 27, 1872.

3Sheets--Sh'eet-3. J.F.GORDON. Improvement in Harvesters. No. 130,852.Patented Aug.27,1872.

i r m UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JAMES E. GORDON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

" IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,852, dated August27, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. GORDON, of the city of Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in HarvestingvMachines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my machine complete. Fig.2represents a vertical transverse section of the grain-dividing mechanismdetached. Fig. 8 represents an elevation 1 of the delivery side of themachine, including only the devices on the outer sill and two outerposts. Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the grain side of themachine, including only such parts as are necessary to exhibit the reeland its connections. Fig. 5 represents a sectional view taken at theline as w of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents that portion of the bindingmechanism employed for holding and twisting the binding-wire, which isin part shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents a sectional View of thegavel-adjuster and its actuating device detached. Fig. 8 represents ahorizontal view or plan of the mechanism detached, by and through whichmotion is transmitted from the drivin g-wheel to the binding mechanism,which is represented in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 represents a side View of the endof the binding-arm with its yoke as it enters the aperture in theclamping-plate. I

My present invention relates to certain improvements in thegrain-binding harvestingmachine for which a patent was granted to me May12, A. D. 1868; and my improvements consist in the construction, thearrangement, and the combination of the devices for acting upon thestalks of grain in their transmission to the binding mechanism and whilebeinging three principal posts, a b c, in front and rear, which postsare connected together by suitable ties at e in front and rear; and tiesA A support the base-frame centrally. This frame, with its mechanism, iscarried upon the driving-wheel B and grain-wheel O. The driving-wheel Bhas its axle B" journaled in suitable boxes secured to the ties A and A,which connect with the front and rear sills of the frame A. Thedriving-wheel B is provided with a gear-wheel, 6, secured to its side,which meshes with a pinion on a short shaft journaled so as to standparallel with the driving-wheel axle, and is furnished with a beveledgearwheel working into a similar beveled gear-wheel on the inner end ofa short counter-shaft carrying a pulley at the rear side of the machine.Through this connection of the driving-wheel with suitable sheaves andbelts the grain-carriers 1 and 2, which convey the grain toward thebinding mechanism, are propelled. The reel D is also revolved by a suitable arrangement of shafts, pulleys, and cords or belts, which connectthe pulley E on the end of the reel-shaft with the pulley 3 on thedriving-wheel axle. The end of the drivingwheel axle B, that extendsbeyond its journalbox toward the grain side ofthe machine, is furnishedwith a bevel-gear, 4, which meshes with a similar bevel-gear, 5, uponthe central shaft F, which has its bearings in boxes secured to thecentral tie A. This shaft carries three cams for actuating thebindingand dividing mechanism, which will now be described. Cams 7, 8,and 9 are secured rigidly to shaft F and revolve with it. Each one ofthese cams acts upon its respective slotted bar, denoted by the figures7 8 9. Each bar is made flat and provided with a longitudinal slot,through whichthe shaft F is inserted,

and the two bars 8 and 9' are provided with friction-rolls 6 betweenwhich the cams 8 and' 9 work, and thus give longitudinal reciprocatingmotion to these bars. The slotted or forked connecting-bar 7, acted uponby its rotary cam 7, (which also works against a frictionroll on thisbar,) connects with the bent lever or bell-crank 10, pivoted to one ofthe frameties, which bell-crank is connected with the wire clamping andbinding mechanism shown in Fig. 6, by means of rod 11 and lever 12. Thespiral spring 20, employed in the clamping devices represented in Fig.6, will, when the point of the binding-arm 16 is withdrawn from betweenthe upper jaws of the mechanism just named, force the jaws to close. Thereciprocating slotted bar 8 is pivoted to the hinged cogged sector f,which is in turn connected by the pivoted connecting-bar g to the coggedsector h, which has its journal-pin connectin git to the front post coftheframe. Sector f is also connected to the frame by a pivot. Thesecogged sectors f andh, respectively, mesh with pinions upon the frontends of shafts j and k. The shaft j is that which actuates thewiretwisting hook through gearing l m m, and the shaft 70 is that uponwhich the gavelerarms 0 0 are secured, the shaft is passing centrallythrough them so that they revolve with it, having an intermittentmovement of half revolutions, as hereinafter described. The pinion'onthe end of shaft j is loosely journaled thereon, and is provided with adisk or flange which carries a spring-pawl working against a toothformed upon the shaft, whereby the shaft may be revolved one revolutionby its sectorf, (when sector f moves outwardly,) and when this sectorreturns to its first position this pinion, into which it meshes, ismoved around upon its shaft j, bringing its pawl in front of the teethagain, ready at the next outward movement of sector f to give the shaftjanother revolution; and thus this shaft receives an intermittent rotarymotion at the proper time to cause the wire-twisting hook i to revolvewith a like intermission of its movement. The loose pinion on the frontend of shaft is (which with the arms 0 constitute the gaveler) operatesto revolve the gaveler, and is provided with a spring-pawl which worksagainst two detents upon said shaft, which, through the action of sectorh, gives to this shaft half a revolution at each outward vibration ofsaid sector. The gaveler thus has an intermission in its rotations ateach half revolution, while the loose pinion returns with itsspring-pawl in front of the other detent on the shaft. The slotted andpointed bar 01. is connected, by a pivot at one end, with the pendentlever d, which has its fulcrum-pin on the hanger q. The lower end oflever d is acted upon by a stud, 0 on the cam 9 at each revolution ofthis can); and bar it is supported against tie d by a screw which passesloosely through its slot and enters the tie. A spiral spring connectingbar a with its supporting screw will cause its pointed end to be held incontact with the circular flange or wheel 19, secured upon shaft itdirectly behind its loose pinion, and as the wheel p is provided withtwo shoulders or projections upon its periphery, the pointed end of barn will act as a stop to hold the shaft 70 with its arms 0 in a positionto receive the grain to form a gavel, until the stud on cam 9 strikesthe lower end of lever 01 and withdraws the bar it from contact withwheel The two posts, 0, in which shaft is is journaled, also support thegavelcradle H, which consists of the journ aled crankbar 0 the fourcurved slats s, and their connecting bottom slat 0 The crank-pin on thecrank at the front end of the journaled cradlebar 0 enters the cam-slotformed in the vibrating pivoted cam-sector u, and through thisconnection the cradle His caused to swing its curved slats at the propertime underneath the gaveler to receive the gavel when the gaveler makesa half revolution, and drops the gavel which had been lodged thereon bythe carrying devices. The gavel remains upon the cradle while thebinding mechanism binds it into'a sheaf. The cam-sector a, pivoted topost 0, is also connected by a pivot with the bar 1;, which connectswith a crank-pin on the outer face of cam 9, and receives its vibratingmovements from this rotating cam. The camslot in sector a is so formedas to act upon the crank it at the proper time to cause the cradle H toswing under the gaveler when the latter is making its half revolution,and to swing outwardly and drop the sheaf to the ground immediatelyafter the binding is accomplished. The upright plate I, provided with aflexible standard, 1 secured to the sill of the frame, is for thepurpose of adjusting the gavel longitudinally upon the gavelerarms 0,-and, for the purpose of giving to this adjusting-plate the propervibrating motions to strike against the butts of the stalks a tappetarm,1 is secured upon the inner side of bar 9, as shown in Fig. 7, so as toact upon the flexible standard 1 as the bar 9 moves forward and back, ashereinbefore specified.

The mechanism I have devised for dividing off that portion of the stalksof grain which forms each gavel consists mainly of the devicesrepresented in detached Fig.2. In this figure a denotes the upperportion of the elevating carrier of toothed slats secured to suitableendless belts passing around rollers b. This carrier receives the grainfrom the platform-carrier 1 and carries it up between the inclined rods0 and the inclined slats c, the teeth of which carrier project outbetween the slats c, the rods 0 serving to retain the stalks in ahorizontal position while being elevated, and also bear them down uponthe carrierteeth. To the upper end of the inclined slats c the curvedmetal. slats 0 are hinged, as represented in Fig. 2; but they may bemade sufficiently flexible to perform their function without the hinge;and directly under each of these hinged slats an arm, 0 extends(rearward in respect to the passage of the grain) from the shaft 0 whichis journaled at the front and rear of the machine in bearings at theupper end of the inclined posts a. The short double crank or lever e onthe end of shaft 0 is connected by pivots with the connecting-bars 6 ethe former being pivoted to the crank-arm e and the latter to thecrankarm 0 The crank e is secured to the front end of rock-bar cjournaled in the posts 11 in front and rear of the machine. Rockbar 0 isprovided with a series or row of teeth, 6', and when the rock-bar e isoperated by the connecting devices simultaneously with the back rods 11and 7 to their first position.

will now be seen that the opening of the up-' shaft 0 with its teeth 0the latter will elevate the hinged slats c and the formerteeth e" closedown against apron K, thus stopping the passage of the grain to thegaveler, while the teeth of the continuously-revolving roller 1) sweepdown any stalks of grain which may be detained by the teeth of therock-bar 6 upon the gaveler. The movements of these grain-dividingdevices are derived through the reciprocating action of the bar 9 andthe crank e to which crank the lower end of connectin g-rod 0 1spivoted. The slot in the lower end of this rod, through which its pivotworks, is sufficiently elongated to properly time the movements of thesegrain-separating devices to correspond with the interval of rest in themovement of the gaveler and binding-arm 16. The binding mechanism,represented in Fig. 6, and which is connected by rod 11 with themechanism shown in Fig. 8, is fastened to a plate or frame, J, which isadj ustably attached in an inclined position behind the ribbed apron K,between beams or ties which connect the posts I) b. The three open slotst," in the bottom of the apron K, exhibit portions of this mechanism,and serve to admit the passage of the point of the binding-arm 16between the upper pair of the jaws of this mechanism, when both thebinding-arm and mechanism are adjusted accordingly. The mech a-nismconsists of stationary jaws 15 and 17, against which movable jaws formedupon the ends of rods 13 and 14 work. The connecting-rod 11 is drawnforward by the action of cam 7 on shaft F, which thrusts outwardly bar 7which actuates the bell-crank 10, to which it and rod 11 are pivoted.The bell-crank is pivoted centrally to the frame. Rod 11 acts throughits hinged connection uponlever 12, which hasits fulcrumpin at the endof rod 13, upon rod 14, to which it is connected by the intermediatelevers l8 and 19. The action of cam 7 through the abovedescribedconnections withdraws the movable jaw on the inner end of rod 14 fromstationary jaw 15, and holds the movable jaw on the inner end of rod 13more firmly against fixed jaw 17, which latter pair of jaws clamp theend of the binding-wire. After the cam 7, in its revolution with shaftF, has released bar 7, the end of the binding-arm 16 remains for a timebetween the upper pair of jaws, and, consequently, rod13, with its jaw,being released by the lever 12, is withdrawn from stationary jaw 17through the expanding action of spring 3 which was contracted betweencollar-arm 1", which is fastened to rod 14, and is provided with a holethrough which rod 13 freely works, and the pin w inrod 13, between whichspiral spring 3 is confined, and this movement throws It per jaws will,by the moving of arm 1', contract the spiral spring 3 on rod 13, andwhen cam 7 releases bar 7 the action of spiral springy will cause thelower jaws to be thrown open (by withdrawing the movable jaw) also. But

' when the point of binding-ar1n16 is withdrawn from between the upperjaws the spiral spring 20 expands again and suddenly closes both pairsof jaws, and the binding-wire, which is drawn by the twisting-hook 41between the lower jaws and below a short projecting tooth of the fixedjaw 17, will be caught between them and held until the next gavel isbeing bound' by the twisting-hook. The arm 16 is provided with afriction-roller near its point, over which the binding-wire passes fromthe spool g, and tension-rollers g on spool-arm 9 Arm 16 is alsoprovided with a wire-clampin g yoke, u, pivoted astride the arm, withits two ends projecting on each side above the bar 16, and thebinding-wire passes between them and over the said friction-roller. Theobject of this clamping-yoke u is to hold the two ends of thebinding-wire which forms each band, when the twisting-hook comes intoaction, and when released from the lower jaws, between which the end ofthe wire was held. The two projecting ends of yoke u are brought'againstplate 2, which is in front of the binding mechanism, and through a slotin which the end of the binding-arm enters when it passes its pointbetween the upper jaws, which, at the time, are held apart; and whenthese projecting ends of the yoke strike against the plate 2 the yoke isthereby caused to turn upon its pivot, and clamps the wires between itslower suspended closed end and the plate 2, just below the bottom of theslot in plate 2. These movements of the binding-arm and wire-twistinghook are so timed in respect to each other and in respect to theoperation of the clamping-jaws (shown in Fig. 6) that the lower jaws,which retain the end of the binding-wire after each gavel is bound, willbe caused to cometogether at the proper time to grasp the end of thewire, after it is cut loose by the stationary knife, directly behind thewire-twistin g hook, against which knife the wire is forced by thetwistinghook at the beginning of its revolution. As this part of thebinding mechanism which cuts off and twists the bands is not essentiallydifferent from the devices for the same purpose used in my patentedbinding-machine before referred to, I do not deem it necessary todescribe them more fully herein. The bindingarm 16 is secured upon shaftX, so as to be adjustable thereon, for the purpose of binding the stalksof grain centrally. The reciprocating motion of the binding-arm isproduced by the operation of bar 9, which is pivoted at its outer end tothe crank-arm 6 on the front end of the binding-arm shaft X.

Besides the vibrating plate I for evening the butts of the stalks andadjusting the gavel upon the gaveler, I have arranged a reel in thecontrol of the driver, so that it may be caused, by the movement of ahand-lever, to carry the grain more or lessrearward as it falls upon theplatform-apron 1, thus governing the position in which the stalks shallbe deposited in respect to the carriers and binding mechanism, andinsuring the binding of the gavels centrally in respect to the length ofthe sheaf. The reel is suspended in bearin gs at the front ends ofhorizontal supports X which are centrally pivoted to the two short postsX Slots are made horizontally through the rear ends of thereel-supports, in which two'crank-pins work to adjust the reel. Thesecrank-pins project laterally from crankarms X upon shaft X", which shaftis provided with a hand-lever, bywhich the driver may at all times varythe position of the reel in relation to the carrier 1, and thus causethe grain to be deposited upon it in the desired position whatever thelength of the stalks may be. It will be understood that the bindingmechanism and binder may be adjusted laterally to bind the gavelscentrally, and that the vibrating plate I as well as the reel may beused to accomplish the same result substantially. It is evident that theoscillating plate I may be so connected by cords and sheaves with alever or treadle in reach of the driver, that it may be entirely underhis control to adjust the gavel. The cradle H is so constructed that thegaveler-arms 0 can revolve between the slats s 8 without coming incontact therewith. The object in making the gaveler-arlns 0 wide, asrepresented in Fig. 1, is to provide an open space below the shaft whenthe gaveler is either side uppermost, through which the end of thebinding-arm 16 may move back and forth, and carry its binding-wirewithout becoming entangled with the grain upon either the cradle H orthe gaveler. Equivalent mechanical devices for elevating the hinged orflexible slats 0 by which the grain is elevated out of reach of thecarrierteeth, and the teethof roller 1) may be readily applied, as it isevident that a rock-bar with a longitudinal flange would effect thispurpose. The ribs 8 upon the front of the apron K, serve to secure anopen space between them and next to the apron for the ends of thegaveler to revolve in, and insure all the stalks of grain to be carrieddown upon the cradle by the semi-rotations of the gaveler. By referenceto Fig. 9 it will be seen that the wire (the end of which is heldbetween the lower jaws and in position to receive the gavel whendischarged upon the cradle by the gaveler) will be carried by the end ofthe binding-arm 16 over the gavel, while it is held by the gaveler-arms0 to the entrance of the jaws, when the twisting-hook catches both itand the end which was retained by the lower jaws. It should not beomitted to state that I purpose using a clutch in connection with shaftF and gear-wheel 5. Instead of the cogged sectors h and f, an endlesschain could be ap plied to efiect the same purpose. The tappet I may beadjusted on bar 9 to regulate the extent of movement of plate I, bymeans of the slot and screw by which it is attached.

Having described the construction and operation of my improvedharvester, I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as myinvention 1. The wire-clampin g mechanism, consisting of the fixed andmovable jaws, in combination with the bindingarm 16, and their actuatingdevices, substantially as described.

2. The intermittently-rotating gaveler O,

constructed as shown and described, in combination with theautomatically-oscillating cradle H, binding arm 16, and binding-wire,all the parts being operated as set forth, for the purposes specified.

3. The gaveler-arms, extending laterally on each side of their shaft, ofsufficient width to form an unobstructed space for the passage of thebinding-arm, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the binding-arm 16 and yokeu with the plate 2 orits equivalent, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the oscillating plate I and an adjustable tappetfor determining the longitudinal position of the gavel, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the gaveler-arms 0 with the ribs 8 on the apron K,substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

7. The grain-dividing mechanism in com-.

bination with the grain-carriers, by which the grain iscarried out ofcontact with the carriers and their traveling or rotating teeth while agavel is being removed, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the flexible slats c with the rock-bar teeth 6 toaid in the separation of the grain, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the rock-shaft 6 with shaft 0 and theirconnections with the reciprocating bar 9, operating conjointly, asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day ofDecember, A. D.

JAMES F. GORDON. Witnesses:

H. R. K. PEcK, D. B. DOWNIE.

